Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], November 3 (ANI): Hitting out at the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ‘Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao’ march across the country, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said that the BJP is itself “anarchy”, terming the ruling party “one crisis”.
Questioning the BJP’s criticism of opposition marches, Yadav said the Samajwadi Party had consistently advocated paper ballot voting, adding that it would continue to oppose EVMs even if it won all 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh through them.
“This is not a march of anarchy. The Bharatiya Janata Party itself is anarchy. And there is only one crisis—BJP. To resolve this crisis: chase away the BJP, remove the BJP. The stance of the Samajwadi Party has always been that we want voting through paper ballots and we want to remove EVMs. Even if the Samajwadi Party were to win all 80 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh via EVMs, we would still oppose EVMs. We believe that voting is constitutional only when cast via paper ballot; if votes are cast through EVMs, it is unconstitutional. Elections are also taking place in the United States—America is the number one nation in the world—tell me, aren’t votes being cast by paper ballot there?” he said.
Responding to a question about Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad and his alleged impact on the Samajwadi Party’s Nishad vote bank, Yadav referred to the recent electoral setbacks and criticised the condition of Varanasi.
“The one whom Mother Ganga had called has now forgotten Mother Ganga. And this double defeat is a clear signal for 2027. If they couldn’t turn Varanasi into Kyoto, they could have at least put up pictures or hoardings here! And consider this: Varanasi is represented by the country’s Prime Minister; their government has been in Delhi and Lucknow for so long, yet you cannot escape traffic jams here. You have no proper traffic management, no clean drinking water, and garbage covers the streets. The road I just travelled on—I heard it has practically turned into a swimming pool. Can you even imagine that roads in the Prime Minister’s own constituency are in such a condition?” he said.
Clarifying the full form of PDA, the Samajwadi Party chief said it stood for backward classes, Dalits and minorities, while also including people facing oppression, humiliation and suffering.
“The full form of PDA stands for: Pichhda, Dalit, and Alpsankhyak—which includes our Muslim brothers, as well as Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, Sikhs, Christians, and any others who fall under the category of minorities. This includes anyone who is suffering—even if that person happens to be a Brahmin; if they are suffering, they are part of this group.” Yadav added.
The BJP launched a counter-march in response to opposition protests against the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The march witnessed large participation of BJP workers and supporters, with national flags prominently displayed throughout the procession.
The march comes after the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, while addressing a mega rally organised by the INDIA bloc at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi, said that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar would be removed from his post and jailed, while accusing him of facilitating alleged vote theft in the country. (ANI)
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